So, flavour infused, luxury instant coffee is actually a thing. Seems too good to be true. Our Jack puts it through its paces and is pleasantly surprised with the results. Turns out that this is some damn fine coffee. The catch? It’s pricey and it won’t last you very long!
What is it
Premium instant coffee infused with various flavours (including chocolate and hazelnut)
How much is it?
RRP £2.99 for 50g
Pros
It’s instant: which means it’s easypeasy to prepare
It’s 100% Arabica: which is not the ‘done thing’ in most instant coffees, which will wholly or mostly be made up of Robusta, which is cheaper, harsher and richer in caffeine.. I suspect that this means you may need to dose this one a little heavier than your regular coffee to get the same level of caffeine and the same ‘weight’of taste. I find about 3 dessert spoons does it.
It actually tastes like what it’s infused in: legit
There’s no added sugar: Not that added sugar to instant coffee is really a thing but a coffee that actually tastes like milk chocolate and doesn’t contain any sugar is a beautiful thing. It’s about 4 calories per serving.
Cons
Price: £3 will get you only get 50g and leading from above I find you have to be pretty generous with the portions to really experience those flavours.
The coffee has a rather simple flavour profile: You’ll definitely get the taste of the infusions but the coffee flavours itself mainly play second fiddle to the infusion. Which is OK because that’s kinda the point of infused coffee I think. But don’t expect unusual gourmet coffee flavours.
Other stuff to bear in mind
It’s definitely best drunk warm, not piping hot. Suggestion: when preparing, don’t let your kettle get to a full boil, and if your kettle is blessed by temperature control, set it as low as possible and see what happens.
Flavour: Natural Swiss
First impression: Open the packet for a ridiculously great smell that is about 75% milk chocolate, 25% coffee
There’s about average level of crema, I expected less as apparently crema is caused by the protein in the beans and Arabica tends to have more of that…
Nose
When brewed you get milk chocolate, something kinda wet and fruity and then the slight woodiness (as oppose to bitterness) of the coffee beneath
Palette
First impression: anticlimax! I then realise that this is because I’ve brewed it a too high a boiling point. When it cools down the flavours come through better. On my second attempt I brew it at a much lower temperature and immediately it is better in every way
Very smooth – instead of bitter it is somewhat smoky. Light bodied, dry and nutty. There are milk chocolate notes legit. Kinda reminds me of Nutella but I am probably obsessed with hazelnut milk chocolate so this is to be expected.
Doesn’t have the burnt, muddy ‘off woody’ notes that a lot of instant coffees inflict upon your mouth That said it is almost too smooth for its own good as there’s not that much character
Flavour: Hazelnut
First impression: Something along the lines of “HOLY SHIT IT’S DRINKABLE CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SPREAD” (you can see a pattern forming, yes?)
Nose
When brewed the nose is LEGIT caramel with a little hazelnut underneath, and as before, some earthy coffee notes beneath it.
Palette
Again, light, slightly woody and rather smooth. Some hazelnut and a lot of caramel. ALL KINDA CARAMEL. Yes, yes this is spectacular! 4 calories?!
Finish
The caramel finally gives way to what I can only call ‘maximum liquid hazelnut’. You can almost exhale it out of your nose. Hazelnut nose dragon powers.
Flavour: Cardamom
First impression: Upon opening it has a ‘punchy aroma’ (an aroma that punches you?) which reminds me of a sherried whisky. Maybe minus the evaporating alcohol. It doesn’t really ‘do’ cardamom until you stick your nose pretty deeply in there and let it sit for a while. Then you notice not only cardamom, but something chocolaty too…
Nose
Subtle cardamom undertones, almost no coffee notes – more of that sherried whisky feel.
Palette
As with the others, it’s pretty smooth and understated for a black coffee. There are some bitter coffee notes on the back of your palette, some ‘cardamom feelings’ in your mid palette. low level spiciness, not in huge amounts – so it doesn’t really sweeten the taste. Tastes kinda medicinal and ‘healthy healthy’
Finish
Cardamom’s slightly sweet/chemical/alchemical spice lingers for long. Again, you can almost exhale it outta your nose. Doesn’t last too long – average length, obviously bitterness also clings to the tongue, but it is super smooth! It clings in a slightly malty way. That herbaceous clean feel of cardamom – I’m not sure if it combines so well with coffee, personally. The balance feels out.
Flavour: Havana Rum
First impression: The sweet, sour sharpness of a rum (‘corrupted molasses’) – minus the evaporating ethanol. There’s a little bit of milk chocolate and coffee notes hiding beneath it, which feel dry relative to rum-fun.
Nose
It takes a while to get it, but yes, there’s a zesty alcoholic thing that reminds less of rum and more of sherried whisky (which is basically my whisky eccentric reference point/perspective) on the world
Palette
Bittersweet – about as smooth as its brethren, maybe a little less so once cooled. It has an almost, but not quite, vanilla sweetness.
Finish
Pretty much unintelligible at first – either the coffee cools or my acclimatised. It’s average in length I guess. I guess sweetness exhaled through your nose, with a few bitter notes on your palette . Pretty good for no added sugar. Actually reminds me somewhat of some kind of coffee chocolate. You could probably do deviant things here with the addition of cream and sugar.
Overall Verdict
Much like the kinds of expensive flavoured tea that you can get in artisanal tea merchants, the flavours are subtle, but you can definitely taste them. Don’t be expecting liquefied chocolate spread with a coffee kick, for that you may want to stick with liqueurs or bubble coffee (this exists now)
And yes, we can already hear the coffee connoisseurs sneering. But, as with everything in this world: ‘don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it’. It’s 100% Arabica (although not single estate). And no milk or sweeteners are needed to appreciate it!
As for this writer’s opinion: The hazelnut was the best the instant coffee I have ever had. This is, admittedly, not a huge feat as most of the instant coffee I have drunk black has been bitter as an Old Western blood fued.
I’ve been drinking it black and enjoying greatly, but for both of these you could probably experiment with milk to bring out some of the infused flavours further
Conclusion:
This is very good stuff indeed, and the only thing that stops me buying more of it is the price point.